Slide-valve for air-motors.



W. I. COOPER & E. P. CHASE.

SLIDE VALVE FOR AIR MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 30, 1909.

Patented June 11, 1912.

//1 1 ril W gm ' /////IIMI%///A v UNITED STATES PATENT onrron WILLIAM F.COOPER AND EDWARD P. CHASE, 0F NORWALK, OHIO; SAID CHASE ASSIGNOR TO THEA. B. CHASE COMPANY.

SLIDE-VALVE FOR ,AIR-MOTORS.

Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Application filed October 30, 1909. Serial No. 525,567.

To all wit-0m tmay concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. COOPER and EDWARD P. CHASE, citizens ofthe United States of America, residing at Norwalk, in thecounty of Huronand State of Ohio, have inventedwrtain new and, useful Improvements inSlide-Valvesfor Air-\f0- tors, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in slidevalves for air motors, the invention relating particularly to the slidevalves used in air motors of that type. which are. employed inconnection with pneumatically-operated player mechanism for pianos andlike keyed instruments.

Motors of the typereferred to heretofore have generally been constructedof wood, that is, the slide valve or valves of the motor have beenconstructed of wood, andthe face of the motor body or base on which theslide operates has also been constructed of wood, the slide valve beingheld into contact with the base by the exhaust pressure with which thesemotors are universally operated. Considerabledifficulty has beenencountered inconnection with the operation of motors of this type, inthat it has been found impractical to lubricate the slide valves and inthat the wood slide operating against a wooden face has a tendency-tocause the twowooden parts to cling together, and thus interfere with thefree easy movement of the slide as it is moved back and forth by theaction of the pneumatics, this difficulty being accentuated by theexhaust pressure operating to hold the slide valve against its base.Numerous experimenters have endeavored to overcome this clinging actionof the slide valve by substituting metal slides on wood bases, alsometal to metal and numerous other combinations, but up to the presentdiscovery of the eflect-iveness of glass sliding on wood, nosatisfactory substitute for wooden slides has been found.

The primary object of our invention is therefore, to provide a motorwith a slide of glass or similar material havingsilica as an element,whereby all tendency of the slide to stick or clingis obviated, and theeffectiveness of the motor thereby materially increased.

Another object of our invention is to proterially improve and assist inthe adjust ment of the valve to admit air to and from the actuatingpneumatics. We have found that the transparency of the slide valvesallows of a more accurate adjustment of the position at which thechannel under the slide opens into the pneumatics.

WVith this primary object, and such other objects in view as will appearhereinafter as the invention is more fully described and explained, theinvention consists in the novel construction and arrangement, anembodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1. a View in end elevation of an air motor of the type referredto, partially in section to show the slide and the face upon which thesame works. Fig. 2 is a view of the motor in front elevation. Fig. 3 isa detail sectional view of one of the slide valves and a part of theface on which the 'same works, and, Fig. 4 is a detached detailperspective view of a slide valve in accordance with our invention.shows a method of attaching to plate glass.

Fig. 5

Since our'invention resides in the nature face of which the slide valveor valves 6 are moved to cover and uncover the port or ports of saidbody, the bellows 7 being attached to the rear face of the board 5 andbeing actuated by connecting rods 8 which are attached on to the crankshaft 9 of the motor, valve or slide rods 10 connecting the slide valveor'va-lves 6 either with the connecting rods 8 as shown in the presentform of construction, or with the crank shaft 9. As the crank shaft 9 isdriven, these rods .10 causethe slide valve or valves 6 to be moved overthe front face of the board or motor body 5 to cover and uncover theports therein, the port 18 supplying'a constant exhaust pressure to thechannel 17 under the valve 6 and the motion of the valve alternatelyadmitting the exhaust pressure to the pneumaticto draw the air from thesame and then opening the ports 15 allowing the pneu- As heretoforestated, these slides 6 have genoperation, have a tendency to cling tothe face of the board 5 on which they operate. We have discovered thatthis tendency of the valves to stick or cling is wholly obviated bymaking the valves of a vitreous material, preferably glass. In puttingour invention into practice therefore, it will be observed that noalteration in the construc-' tion of the motor is required, the valves 6being held in their position on the front face of the motor body andguided in their movement thereon by cleats or guides 11 in the ordinarymanner. The valve or slide rods 10 may be connected to the glass slidevalves 6 in any suitable or desired manner, that herein shown comprisingthe provision of an apertured lug 12 near the lower end of the slide sothat the valve or slide rods 10 can be connected to the lug in anysuitable manner, such for instance as illustrated at 14 in Fig. 1.Obviously, as the slide valves are moved they will cover and uncover theports 15 of the motor in the usual manner. Each slide valve may be usedto cover and uncover one or more ports as is common with these motors.Another method of attaching this valve rod is shown in Fig. 5, in whichthe slide is made from a piece of plate glass and is provided withanattaching lug 6, which is sprung over each end of the slide valve,this being found commercially a preferred construction.

It has been demonstrated, that wooden slide valves, no matter as to thenature of the wood, when operating against a wooden face, have amaterial tendency to develop a peculiar sticking surface, and thisoftentimes occurs within a short time after the first use of the slidevalve, whereas it has been demonstrated that a vitreous slide has notendency whatever to acquire this sticking surface, and we have alsolearned by practical test, that the slide valve constructed of vitreousmaterial produces a superior result over the wooden slide practicallyfrom the beginning of the operation of the motor, and aflording anincrease of the power derived from the motor. There is no tendencywhatever of the vitreous material to develop an adhesiveness for thewooden face upon which it slides, and naturally an increase in theamount of motive power resulting is obtained, other conditions beingequal.

Although we have in use employed slides made of glass, we do not wish toconfine ourselves to this specific material, as a slide conglass slide.

We consider that the main feature of our invention lies in thecombination of a slide valve and a base for said slide valve, one

part being formed of glass and the other of wood, and we havedemonstrated that the; combination of a wood slide valve and a glassbase will produce the same beneficial results as the reverseconstruction, though we believe that the glass slide and wood base isthe preferred construction. We therefore, claim either the use of aglass slide on a wood base, or a wood slide on a glass base.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In air motors, the combination of two parts, a slide valve and a baseupon which said valve moves slidably, one of said parts being formed ofa non-vitreous non-elastic material, the other part being formed of avitreous material.

2. In air motors, the combination with a body having a non-vitreousnon-metallic non-elastic slide face, of a slide valve oper ativeslidably on said face and formed of vitreous material.

3. In air motors, thecombination with the body having a wooden slideface, of a slide valve operative on said face and formed of vitreousmaterial.

4. In air motors, the combination with the body having a wooden slideface, of a slide valve operative on said face and formed of glass. y

5. An air motor having a wooden slide face, and a slide valve movablethereon to cover and uncover the port or ports in said face, said slidevalve being 7 formed of vitreous material.

6. In air motors, the combination of two parts, a slide valve and a baseupon which the said slide moves, one part being formed of glass and theother of wood.

7 A slide valve for air motors formed of plate glass, means foractuating said valve, said means being attached to said valve by aspring clip.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM F. COOPER. EDWARD P. CHASE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES SUHR, J. M. BEOHTOL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

